This invention relates to fluid line systems which include mid-line couplings, and more particularly, to a coupling of the type for connecting a first tube having a male member attached to the end of the first tube with a second tube having a female body attached to the end of the second tube.
In the automotive and other fields, mid-line of a fluid or vapor line system, a male member defining one end of a fluid or vapor path is received in a female body defining the other end of the fluid or vapor path to connect the fluid or vapor system.
Once the male member is inserted into the female body, a retaining mechanism is used to prevent separation of the two tubes. One typical type of retaining mechanism comprises an internally threaded female body mounted to the second tube axially outwardly of a radially enlarged upset formed on the outer surface of second tube. The male member is externally threaded to mate with the internal threading of the female body. The female body has a radially inwardly extending annular stop at one end abutting the upset of the second tube. To secure the retaining mechanism, the female body is threaded onto the external threading of the male member. Since the annular stop of the female body abuts the upset of the second tube and the female body is threaded to the male member, the first tube and the second tube cannot be separated. While the retaining mechanism comprising an internally threaded female body and an externally threaded male body is effective in securing the two tubes together, there are several disadvantages to such a retaining mechanism. Securing the internally threaded female body to the externally threaded male member is very labor intensive. The female body needs to be slid toward the male member to a mating position. Thereafter, the female body and the male member need to be threaded together. As with all threaded securing mechanisms, careful attention is needed to line up the female body with the male member to prevent cross threading.
The present invention provides a mid-line coupling that eliminates the need to secure the tubes by means of threading.
The present invention is directed to a mid-line coupling. The mid-line coupling comprises a first tube and a second tube. The first tube includes a male member formed of the first tube and an upset formed a given distance from the end of the first tube. The second tube includes a female body formed of the second tube. The male member is insertable into the female body until the terminal end of the female body abuts the upset of the first tube.